1251 Avenue of the Americas

Coordinates: 40°45′36″N 73°58′53″W / 40.76000°N 73.98139°W / 40.76000; -73.98139
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

1251 Avenue of the Americas
The base of 1251 Avenue of the Americas
Map
Former namesExxon Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice
Architectural styleNew Formalism
Location1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°45′36″N 73°58′53″W / 40.76000°N 73.98139°W / 40.76000; -73.98139
Construction started1965
Completed1968
Opening1971
OwnerMitsui Fudosan
Height
Roof750 feet (230 m)
Top floor715 feet (218 m)
Technical details
Floor count54
Floor area2,101,115 sq ft (195,200 m2)
Lifts/elevators36
Design and construction
Architect(s)Wallace Harrison
Structural engineerEdwards & Hjorth
Main contractorGeorge A. Fuller Co.
References
[1]

1251 Avenue of the Americas (formerly known as the Exxon Building) is a

international style[2] and looks like a simple cuboid devoid of any ornamentation. The facade consists of alternating narrow, vertical stripes of glass and limestone. The glass stripes are created by windows and opaque spandrels, forming continuous areas that are washed by machines sliding down the facade. A seven-floor base wraps around the western portion of the building, and there is a sunken plaza with a large two-tier pool and fountains facing Sixth Avenue. In the plaza stands the bronze statue named Out to Lunch[3] by John Seward Johnson II—of the same series as the one that once stood outside 270 Park Avenue.[4]

Background

The building was part of the later Rockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the "XYZ Buildings".[5] Their plans were first drawn in 1963 by the Rockefeller family's architect, Wallace Harrison, of the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz.[6] Their letters correspond to their height. 1251 Avenue of the Americas is the "X" Building as it is the tallest at 750 ft (229 m) and 54 stories, and was the first completed, in 1971. The "Y" is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, which was the second tower completed (1973) and is the second in height (674 ft and 51 stories). The "Z" Building, the shortest and the youngest, is 1211 Avenue of the Americas with 45 stories (592 ft).[7] 1251 is the second-tallest building in the whole of Rockefeller Center, after 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Despite being one of the 100

tallest buildings in the United States, 1251 Avenue of the Americas is almost impossible to see from more than just a few blocks away as it is flanked on all sides by buildings over 500 feet tall. The result is that even though 1251 Avenue of the Americas is approximately as tall as the tallest buildings in cities such as Boston or Minneapolis, it has almost no presence on the New York City
skyline.

In 1989,

Las Colinas area of Irving, Texas. Exxon sold the Exxon Building, its former headquarters, to a unit of Mitsui Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. in 1986 for $610 million. John Walsh, president of Exxon subsidiary Friendswood Development Company, stated that Exxon left New York because the costs were too high. Its New York offices moved to Brooklyn; it no longer retains a presence in Rockefeller Center.[8]

In May 2013, the structure received silver certification under the

LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System.[9]

Art

Artist-authorized replica of Pablo Picasso's tapestry for the ballet Mercure

Inside, on the western end of 1251's atrium hangs an artist-authorized replica of a tapestry Pablo Picasso created for the ballet Mercure, the original of which hangs in the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, France. It was created specifically for the building, as per the plaque beneath it.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Emporis building ID 114546". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020.
  2. ISBN 9781875498321
    . Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  3. ^ "Frre to be... Philistine". Spy. May 1989. p. 85. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "THE EXXON BUILDING (1251 Sixth Ave.)". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  5. ISBN 9781568981819
    . Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  6. ISBN 978-0-19-502404-3
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-56898-545-9
    .
  8. ^ Pearson, Anne; Bivins, Ralph (October 27, 1989). "Exxon moving corporate headquarters to Dallas". Houston Chronicle. p. A1. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  9. ^ "1251 Avenue of the Americas Earns LEED Silver Certification". Hines. May 6, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
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